Tag Archives: black chicken

As you may remember, we were worried about the black chicken before we left for Puerto Rico. She was not moving much, wasn’t eating, and had some problems “going to the bathroom”. We thought she might be egg bound, but weren’t sure. Before we left she was walking around again, but her tail feathers were down. While we were gone in Puerto Rico my mom came over and fed the chickens and Kitty. She said the black one was walking around and greeted her at the greenhouse. Well, when we got back, she was laying on her side with her feet sticking out to the other side and her eyes were all glazed over. When we would pet her or pick her up, she would awaken, but wouldn’t move or sit on her feet. I had a feeling that if she wouldn’t even sit on her feet anymore she was probably on her last leg so to speak.

The Black Chicken in Happier Days

This morning Britton went out to feed them and she was stiff and dead. It feels silly to mourn a chicken, but we feel bad that we couldn’t do anything to save her. At least she didn’t die while Mom was watching them…she waited until we got back to pass away. Well Black Chicken AKA Pepper we’ll miss you, you were a nice chicken and we wish you well on your way to wherever chickens go when they die.

I was surprised to find a little gift from the black chicken today when I went to bring the chickens some water. She laid her first egg! It was much smaller than Ms. Henny Penny the Leghorn usually lays (like Extra Extra Jumbo size). Everything we read about the Sumatra breed of chicken says that they lay white eggs, but no, she definitely laid a brown egg. So now that our Leghorn champion layer is out of commission due to molting, the black one can take over. I don’t think she will lay as many as the Leghorn, but it is nice to know that we have a backup so we don’t have to buy more eggs. Thanks, Black One (no we still really don’t have names for them).